Post by StoryGirl83 on Aug 27, 2008 15:29:51 GMT -5
Chapter Five - Answering Machine Dilema
, and Max
The front door of the Halliwell manor opened into the front hallway letting Wyatt in followed by Chris. Chris was now dangling the backpack from his finger tips. On a small table against the wall there was an answering machine. It was blinking and beeping. Chris walked over to the coat closet and stuffed the backpack inside as Wyatt walked up to the answering machine and hit the play button.
“Four messages, message one . . .” the answering machine said before Wyatt was distracted.
Chris turned and looked at Wyatt. “Hey, those aren’t for you?”
He walked over to where his brother was standing and waited for Wyatt’s response as the answering machine talked in the background. “So. I can let Mom or Dad know what’s going on. They won’t mind.”
“Hi, Piper,” a male voice in his thirties said over the answering machine. “This is Tyler. Apparently the unbinding worked, because today I set my wife’s hair on fire. She’s fine, but boy did I have some explaining to do.” The voice on the answering machine chuckled. “And when I did explain, I had to explain what got me upset enough to catch her hair on fire. Anyway, I thought I’d let you know that is worked and to keep an eye on the underworld, because if my powers work, then who knows what’s going on down there. Call me. If you don’t have my number, I’m in the book.”
The answering machine beeped and Chris looked at Wyatt. “Looks like that Darklighter wasn’t the only one who noticed.”
Chris and Wyatt looked back at the answering maching and listened. “. . . Fifty-three PM.”
This time is was a woman’s voice in her forties that played over the answering machine. “Halliwells, this is Aviva. Something’s up in the magic world today. I’m sure you’ve noticed, but when I saw this, I thought of you girls. It seemed like something you’d want to know if you didn’t. Be careful.”
“That’s two,” Chris commented. “How much you want to bet they are all about this?”
“Just listen,” Wyatt said with a shush, “okay.”
The answering machine just kept talking. “. . . Three. Two-forty PM.”
This voice was, again, that of a man in his mid forties. “Uh, Piper. It’s Max Franklyn. Can you get me the number of Prue? It’s about my powers.”
Wyatt’s eyes widened and he turned to look at Chris. Chris was staring at the answering machine.
“Did he say Prue?” Chris asked, looking at Wyatt incredulously. “As in Aunt Prue?”
Wyatt nodded and looked back at the machine. A woman in her mid-thirties was speaking over the machine. “I thought you said adults don’t see the tween places. Well, I’m seeing plenty. It’s Kate by the way.”
The machine turned off and Wyatt looked at his brother. “That’s the last message. Do you know any of these people?”
Chris shook his head. “The only name I recognized was Aunt Prue. She’s been dead for years. How come that guy doesn’t know it? He doesn’t sound much older that us either. How old was he when he knew Mom and her sisters?”
Wyatt shrugged. “So what do we do? Let Mom hear these messages and whatever worries she already has will multiple rapidly. If we don’t, then at least the first guy will call again.”
Chris looked at the answering machine. He then walked over to it and unplugged it. He picked it up and carried it to the coat closet at the foot of the steps. “We’ll let her listen to them after dinner.”
Wyatt gave him a look. “She’ll notice.”
“If she asks we will tell her that there is nothing on there that can’t wait, but we need to talk to her first.” Chris walked into the family room and walked over to the window.
As Chris looked out the window Wyatt followed him in, laughing. “And that’s supposed to keep her from worrying how?
“I don’t know,” Chris said with a sigh, “but I’d rather talk to her, before she gets her mind on that. A lot of things happened today. Some nameless woman’s hair catching on fire is not high priority, not when her husband handled it.” Chris sat down on a chair.
Wyatt looked at him, doubtfully. “I guess.”
In the background the doorbell rang. Chris stood and walked to the door. Wyatt followed him, but let him answer it. Chris opened the door revealing a young woman in her early twenties. She had dark brown hair that came past her shoulders and was wearing a colorful skirt with a white peasant blouse. There were bangles on her wrist and she had long dangling earrings. On the step at her feet was a large paper bag.
She grinned at the two brothers. “Hey, Chris, Wy. I wasn’t sure if you’d be here.”
Wyatt looked over Chris shoulder. “Were you looking for us, Kali?”
Chris looked at her trying to figure out who she was. There was something familiar about her. Kali came in, leaving her bag on the step. She reached up and gave Chris a short hug. Chris looked over her shoulder at Wyatt, utterly bewildered. Kali let Chris go, not noticing his discomfort and turned to Wyatt giving him a hug as well. Kali then let Wyatt go and stepped back.
“I was hoping I’d see you two before I left to go back to school. When Mom said that Drinka said that . . .”
Wyatt interrupted her. “Start over and this time, include the details.”
Kali laughed and went back to the step. She picked up the bag and handed it to Chris. “My mom said that you would need these. You see my cousin, Drinka . . .”
“Cousin?” Wyatt asked interrupting, again. “Since when do you have cousins? You’re mom’s an only child if I remember correctly.”
Kali laughed and nodded. “Okay, so she’s my third cousin, twice removed . . . I think.”
Wyatt laughed at this. Chris stared at them both bewildered.
Kali kept talking. “At any rate, Drinka works at your mom’s restaurant and she was working today when you two came in. She told Mom that you had mentioned something about eating here tonight, so I took a chance and her you are. When I told Mom that I was coming over, she told me to bring that stuff.” Kali waves her hand in the direction of the bag in Chris’ arms. “She said that you two would need it, but she didn’t say why. I looked in and it’s just herbs and stuff, but she said you’d need it, so I brought it over.”
Chris watched, trying to figure out exactly what was going on and wondering about the growing feeling that he knew her, really well.
Wyatt had no such problem. “I’m sure if your mom thinks that we will need it, then it will be useful at some time.”
Chris finally seemed to be able to react as he put the bag down on the end table that used to house the answering machine.
“So how soon do you go back to school?” Wyatt asked, still focused on Kali.
“Way too soon,” Kali told him. “Gary, that’s my boyfriend. I told you about him right?”
Wyatt nodded his head. Chris just shrugged, not at all sure who she was talking about.
Kali continued, seeming to not notice any of Chris discomfort. “Right. Anyway, Gary wanted to take me to this art exhibit and it’s only open until Saturday, so I’m stuck.”
“That’s not for a whole other week,” Wyatt commented. “Why are you leaving Monday?”
Kali shrugged. “Well, I have to get settled back in. I know it’s only been a couple of weeks, but you know me.”
Wyatt grinned. “Yeah, it takes you about two minutes to get fully acclimated to your situation. What gives?”
“He doesn’t know,” Kali said with a sad sort of sigh. “I’m still in the good impression stage.”
Wyatt looked down at Kali’s clothes. “How can he not know? I mean you dress just like that.”
“Not in school,” Kali informed him. “Anyway, even if he knew I was a Gypsy, he wouldn’t understand what all that meant, not yet anyway.”
Wyatt nodded in understanding. The mention of Gypsies seemed to spark something in Chris’ mind, but he remained silent, letting Wyatt respond. “Yeah, the whole magic thing.”
Kali nodded. “Exactly. Well, I really can’t stay. I just wanted to see you two before I left. Now, I’ve seen you and dropped off the stuff from Mom. I’ll let you guys be. Bye, Wy.”
“See you, Kali.”
Kali turned to Chris. “Bye, Chris.”
Chris’ lips twitched. He nodded his head at her. “Bye, Kali.”
Kali turned around and walked out the door. She headed down the steps as Wyatt walked over to the door and pushed it closed. Wyatt turned around and looked at Chris. “You don’t have a clue who she is, do you?”
Chris shook his head. “I should though. She seems like she knows both of us well. I still don’t remember much before I arrived in the past, but surely someone who I know . . . How long have we known her?”
“I don’t know,” Wyatt admitted with a shrug of his shoulders. “Most of her life. Mom and her sisters helped Kali’s mom, Dr. Nicholae, with something before I was born. Then, when I was seven they moved in across the street. You were five and Kali was three. We’ve been friends ever since, though I can’t say we ever got to say much during that time.” Wyatt grinned at his brother as he added, “She does like to talk. She wants to be a doctor, like her mom. She’s been so busy, that today was the first time I’d seen her since summer,” Wyatt told him, pausing to think, “no, early June. I think she said something about this Gary guy then. Haven’t seen or heard from her since then, six months I guess.”
Chris’ eyes widened in surprise. “Kali Nicholae! That was Kali Nicholae. Sorry that I couldn’t seem to remember. She was so much younger the last time I remember seeing her.”
Wyatt smiled. “Well, it’s not like Kali noticed. She was off in her own world, just chatting away.”
The front door opened and Piper walked in. “Was that Kali?”
Wyatt nodded. “Yeah, she had some stuff her mom wanted to give Chris and me.”
“How’s Ava doing?” Piper asked, referring to Kali’s mother.
Wyatt shrugged. “She didn’t say, but I imagine that she’s fine. Are you sure you don’t want help with dinner?”
Piper shook her head. “I don’t know how to tell you this son, but you can’t cook.”
Wyatt didn’t mind the reminder. “Well, Chris can. I’ll set the table or something.”
“Mom?”
Piper turned to her younger son at the sound of his voice. “Yes, Chris?”
“Nothing,” Chris told her with a smile in his eyes. “It’s not important. It’s just that it’s really good to see you.”
Piper looked at him confused. “You saw me, only a few hours ago at the restaurant.”
“Yeah. I know,” Chris admitted, but didn’t add anything on the subject. “If you don’t mind I’d like to help you cook. Maybe we can teach Wyatt something. Takeout gets old.”
Wyatt’s reaction was immediate. “Hey! You said you liked Chinese.”
Then, Wyatt looked at his brother with a frown. The frown slowly changed to a smile. He leaned close enough to his brother to whisper. “Good guess, bro.”
Piper didn’t hear Wyatt, so she answered Chris question. “Well, if you really want to, then follow me.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
Piper left the room in the direction of the kitchen leaving the two brothers alone.
Wyatt turned to Chris. “Did you remember that I like to order takeout when it’s my time to cook or did you guess?”
“A little of both. A memory came to mind of you paying a delivery boy and Mom said you can’t cook, so I made a guess.” Chris grinned and started walking to the kitchen. “I’ll beat you to the kitchen.”
Wyatt orbed out, grinning.
With a grin on his face Chris protested to his absent brother. “No fair orbing.” Then, Chris orbed out after him.